Battery-powered portable electronic devices providing a variety of functions are ubiquitous. Some examples of mobile devices powered by internal rechargeable batteries are cellular phones, smart phones, tablets, personal computers and digital assistants, music players, headphones and speakers, and calculators.
Cellular telephones and similar portable devices routinely come equipped with one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. The USB port facilitates internal battery charging when a suitable charging unit and cable connector is applied to the USB port.
Thus, mobile devices often include a separate charging unit which coverts AC mains power to DC voltages that are used to recharge the internal batteries. If the mobile user happens to be located near a main power outlet, then the charging unit can be plugged into the wall and the charging cable can likewise be connected to the battery-powered device needing to be recharged.
However, many public facilities do not provide convenient access to AC mains power for customers and visitors. Additionally, installing AC main power outlets in some facilities may not be feasible and high voltage AC main power may be deemed hazardous in some environments.
Thus, there is a need for a solution that overcomes this difficulty that is scalable, easy to deploy and cost effective and that takes advantage of existing mobile technology.